Michael Carrick has made his first serious error in audition for Man Utd job

Michael Carrick has made his first serious error in audition for Man Utd jobOn-trial Manchester United manager was furious with referee Paul Tierney after the defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford but he should have been blaming others closer to homeCommentsSportopinionAndy Dunn Chief Sports Writer15:41, 14 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesMichael Carrick came out with highly critical comments about the refereeing of his side's loss to Leeds United(Image: Carl Recine, Getty Images)Without doubt, the Lisandro Martinez hair-pull was even less violent than the one which got Everton’s Michael Keane sent off against Wolves at Hill Dickinson Stadium back in January. But from the moment Keane’s ‘offence’ against Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare was deemed worthy of a straight red card - and a three-match suspension - it was clear Premier League referees had been given the word.‌Zero tolerance on hair-pulling. A yank, a tug, whatever, it doesn’t matter. And no matter how incredulous Michael Carrick and a legion of ex-professionals declared themselves to be, there will be no change in the policy. Certainly not this season.‌Pull hair, get sent off. And no matter how soft the dismissal of Martinez looked, you cannot accidentally pull someone’s hair.‌Whether this zero-tolerance approach will continue next season is another matter, but the problem referees will have is deciding when a hair-pull is soft enough for a yellow card or no punishment, and when it is hard enough for a red card. Far simpler to say: hey, just don’t pull someone’s hair.Anyway, the point is that while the red card for Martinez did seem extremely harsh, it was not ‘absolutely shocking’. Once Paul Tierney believes the footage shows even the slightest pull, the Manchester United man is off.READ MORE: Andoni Iraola to leave Bournemouth as Man Utd learn chances of landing new bossREAD MORE: Man Utd urged to beat rivals to £65m transfer after 'disappointing' Casemiro decisionFOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United ne...